1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a self-cleaning toilet, and in particular, a toilet having means for flushing the rim of the toilet bowl.
2. Prior Art
A conventional toilet provides water for flushing wastes flowing from a water tank to the toilet bowl through an opening near the bottom of the bowl and a plurality of openings on the underside of the rim of the toilet bowl. The former may impart a swirling motion to the water flowing into the bowl, and the openings on the underside of the hollow rim provide rinsing action. No provision for rinsing urine and other residues from the rim of the toilet bowl during flushing is known to the art at this time. The cleaning of the rim of the toilet bowl must be done manually at the present time.
Self-rinsing toilet bowls are known in the prior art. U.S. Pat. No. 4,987,616 discloses a toilet having water flowing from under the rim so as to cause a vortex action at the discharge end of the bowl. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 2,164,319 shows a toilet having a toilet seat with a water flushing structure attached to its underside having a plurality of openings for ejecting water to scour the inner surface of the bowl. U.S. Pat. No. 3,919,716 discloses a toilet with a spray device for cleaning the bowl when the latter is tilted into a cleaning position. Both U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,484,873 and 5,170,515 show toilets having rims with openings for discharging water into the bowl. None of the toilets in the prior art have means for rinsing the top surface of the toilet bowl rim, which tends to accumulate urine and other residues and which are unpleasant to remove manually. Thus there is a need for an improved toilet having means for rinsing the rim surfaces of the toilet bowl during flushing.
A toilet bowl as referred to herein shall mean any receptacle for temporarily receiving human wastes connected to a water supply and means of releasing water into the toilet bowl for flushing out such wastes.